Scientist Gets a Body Like a Greek god With His "Apollo Program"

A PhD scientist learned how to get a body like a Greek god by reviving the secrets of ancient Olympic athletes. Now he's showing people around the world how his system, The Apollo Program, can transform their bodies too.

Manchester, England (PRWeb UK) July 17, 2009 -- This month, America marks the 40th anniversary of NASA's historic moon landing, but for a scientist in England, "The Apollo Program" has a very different meaning. Dr. Nick Hallale lent the name to a system he devised after resurrecting ancient methods for achieving a body like a Greek god.

Hallale, 35, was driven to action after being more than 40 pounds overweight, unhealthy and unhappy. Work and family commitments made it hard to stay fit, but he also recognises peer pressure as a bad influence: "Many people my age don't have much respect for exercise," he says. "They think there's something strange or immature about a parent who continues to keep in great shape, and that getting a body like a Greek god at this age is unrealistic."

Determined to prove them wrong, Hallale turned to the ancient Greeks for help. "I wasn't interested in looking like a huge bodybuilder," he explains. "I'd always admired the proportioned, athletic look of Greek god statues, especially Apollo. I longed to get a body like a Greek god myself, not in years, but in weeks, and so I created my own 'Apollo Program' to achieve this."

His first step was spending countless hours of research in museums and libraries. Studying classical statues showed him exactly what the body of a Greek god (http://www.apollo-program.com/WhatIsApolloBody.asp) looked like, and he then explored ancient sports manuals and artworks to learn just how their athletes got like that.

The next step was a revival of their training methods, using himself as a guinea pig. With a PhD in chemical engineering, and having taught for several years at the University of Manchester, Hallale brought a scientific approach to the task. "I was pretty ruthless," he grins. "Anything that didn't work was discarded, and I kept only what was useful." He was impressed enough to retain several long-forgotten secrets, including the "tetrad," an ingenious way of dividing intensive training over a four-day cycle so that the body has time to recover fully and stays in balance.

He also reconstructed some classical exercises, including the ancient Greek long jump (http://apollo-program.typepad.com/the-apollo-program/2009/04/one-giant-leap-for-mankind.html), which he learned from paintings found on ancient vases. In the original long jump, athletes did not take a run up as they do in the modern event. Instead, they would propel themselves by swinging the arms while holding stone weights or "halteres." Hallale substituted modern dumbbells and reports that this gave him excellent results: "After just a few jumps, I'd be sweating like I'd run a marathon. People stared as though I was crazy, but I didn't care." Studying the diet of Greek athletes revealed some interesting clues too.

"The Apollo Program" soon paid off as Hallale dropped from a 40-inch waist to a size-32. His program also built up other parts of his body, so that his proportions matched those of the Greek god body he admired so much. He believes his system is an holistic approach to health, with benefits that transcend the physical. "In ancient Greece, the mind, body and spirit weren't viewed separately, but were seen as parts of a whole," he says. "It's not just about muscles. The complete package - health, happiness and youthful energy - is what getting a body like a Greek god is really about."

His transformation quickly began to attract attention, and so he set up his Apollo Program (http://www.apollo-program.com) website, where he offers consultation and coaching to people around the world. "When I created my 'Apollo Program,' I did it to save myself from what I was going through," he remembers. "But then friends and family started asking me for advice on getting the Greek god body themselves. Word of mouth spread, and it quickly built up from there."

In addition, Hallale writes a blog (http://apollo-program.typepad.com/the-apollo-program/), and has authored an e-book devoted to one part of his system - sculpting a perfect abdomen - and which is available to download from http://www.Apollo-Program.com/FlatStomachBook. "It contains everything you need to know," he promises, "from the best stomach exercises to reducing body fat to ways of flattening the gut from the inside." He also has plans for a full-length book about his program, so that people around the world can learn to get a body like a Greek god (or goddess!) too.

###